Month 3 update: pursuing childhood dreams
Saying yes, then no, following childhood curiosities and embracing an abundance mindset.
What a massive contrast to my previous update.
Was it my strong desire to just feel better that helped me push through? Maybe. But this month was just epic for so many reasons:
Doing the hard thing by saying no
A cold e-mail that turned into a step towards my childhood dream
Transitioning to an abundance mindset
Strap in and enjoy the ride. This one is a feel-good one.
Reflections
Saying yes, then no
During my first month, I felt so invigorated to be able to say yes. To have the energy and time to say yes to anything.
Well, it felt great while it lasted.
By the start of the second month, my to-do list grew. That list was objectively exciting. Fantastic, even. But when I looked at my to-do list every morning, I felt that all-too-familiar feeling of overwhelm. Jenny, what the heck are you doing? 🥲
And so, my third month was all about culling. But culling objectively great opportunities was not easy. If I were in a different mindset, different time or place these are things I would say yes to right away. A scarcity mindset invaded my brain: what if these opportunities don’t come again?
Luckily for us, Marie Kondo blessed us all with an important mantra: does it ✨ spark joy ✨?
“Keep only things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest.” - Marie Kondo
This was my year of heart over head. To take the plunge and jump into the unknown, regardless of the outcome.
And that’s why I discarded what didn’t feel right and decided to chase an old childhood dream.
Lil Jenny’s dream
When I was 11 years old, if I wasn’t thriving on Neopets or creating pixel art, I was playing games. One of the most memorable games I got to play was Final Fantasy X.
This game moved what little emotions lil’ Jenny knew. The lighting, characters, world-building, story and gameplay. I loved every part of this game. This is the game that sparked a little dream I never got to realise: to create a game. To bring characters like Yuna, Tidus and Auron to life.
Game development has been something I dabbled with through the years. The closest I ever gotten was creating a VR game and creating game concepts with friends.
Finally, this was going to be the year to do it.
So, I mustered up the courage to cold-email a little game studio based in Sydney asking to volunteer. I didn’t care what role, I simply wanted to be part of the journey. Luckily for me, they were the first game studio I e-mailed and I have been volunteering as a game designer for the last ~6 weeks.
I wish I could explain the type of excitement, awe and wonder I felt when deep diving into the world of games. Moments like these are rare in my life. To fall in love with something so deeply — a very similar feeling to when I first entered the startup and tech world. A feeling of infinite possibilities.
In just a couple of weeks, my scarcity mindset was debunked. Better opportunities do come up. That I do have motivation. That I can feel passion for something else again. This was a pivotal moment in my sabbatical because I knew this moment may not have come so soon in my life if I didn’t take a break.
Shoutout
Loftia: a cozy MMO
Loftia is going to be a cozy massively multiplayer online game about building a sustainable city in the sky. Think a beautiful mix of Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing and Minecraft. In many ways, Loftia has everything I want in a game: farming, cute aesthetics, customisation and an opportunity to connect with my friends.
For the last 6 weeks, I have been helping the team design the first prototype to start testing the game play. It’s been an incredibly fun journey and I truly believe the game will be amazing. You can learn more about what Loftia is from this video from the founders:
However, Loftia is still in development and most games like these (especially MMOs) take years to make. This mean it takes years before the game makes money. For the team of Loftia, it is truly a project of passion and purpose.
We hope you can support us in our upcoming Kickstarter campaign so that we can build a game that brings people together, all-while educating people about sustainability. 💜
What did you actually do, Jenny?
Things that sparked joy ✨
Taking a spontaneous trip to Melbourne.
Do you have some random flight vouchers lying around from cancelled flights during the pandemic? Take this as a gentle reminder to use them!!! As soon as we got a notification from Jetstar (also, fuck you, Jetstar), we used the vouchers to book a weekend trip to Melbourne where we ate our way through the city and relaxed in Mornington Peninsula. I was so excited to use my new manual lens to take some truly special photos on my trip.
Picking up the Apple Pencil again.
After struggling with digital art, I decided to pick up my Apple Pencil again on the plane to Melbourne. These were such a joy to draw. They both took me around 30 minutes but I adore the outcome. I think I have cracked it.
Expanding my consumption patterns.
The cool side effect of taking a break is that I have the time to explore other topics beyond work and self-help (haha 🥲). In an attempt to replace doom-scrolling, I have been consuming content on various topics: science, gaming, health and history. Here are some of my favourites!
🎙️Kinky History is a podcast about the evolution of human sexuality. They are short, sweet and entertaining. I did not expect to learn about the less explored sides of historical figures like Albert Einstein and Hans Christian.
🎙️Maintenance Phase is a podcast that debunks popular wellness and nutrition science. This episode about a popular “illness influencer” has been a recent favourite. Super entertaining and eye opening!
📙Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking. Is there a God? Are there other intelligent life out there? This classic read goes through 10 big questions and provides easily digestible, thought-provoking answers to them.
📙 The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell. I am OBSESSED with this book! Although, I’d like to warn you… it’s more like a textbook. If The Design of Everyday Things was the perfect primer for user experience design, then this is the equivalent for game design. An absolute banger.
Let’s reflect together 🙌
I loved the responses to last month’s reflection questions. You are all the best. 🥹 Let’s keep it rolling!
What are your childhood curiosities that you may not have had the opportunity to explore further as an adult?
When is the last time you made a decision with your heart and not your head?
Any new areas of interests that you are learning about recently?
Looking forward to your answers!
That's so exciting Jenny :) you seem to be learning so much and you're planting many seeds of inspiration in me.
1. Childhood curiosity: music. I'm trying to find the time as an adult to pursue it, and balancing having the space to explore but also the 'pressure' of creating something. It's hard to balance those dualities.
2. Heart decision: going to India for a month, last year. It might end up sparking a permanent move next year... let's see :)
3. New areas of interest: learning a new language. I'm getting more excited about it as I try it, and when I see a possible sabbatical in the future, I get really excited about learning a new language full-time.